Love dot Com
by JayDI
Summary: In a time where relationships don't always go as planned, isn't it natural to look for a little help? And with a click of the mouse, you can find your perfect match. [Future] [Trory] [Pro Ch. 4]
1. Prologue

**love.com**

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**Prologue**

Rory Gilmore paced around her small New York apartment, fuming over the nights events. She and her boyfriend of three months had just broken up. Why? Because he had 'issues' about commitment. Walking over to the soft couch, she plopped down. Turning her head, she looked at the phone, and then picked it up, dialing a familiar number.

"Hello?"

"It happened again."

"Oh, Rory."

"I mean, am I really that horrible? Every guy that I date breaks up with me."

"Babe, it hasn't been that many."

"Mom. There've been five guys this year. And on New Years, I was breaking up with said number five."

"Uh Oh."

"What?"

"Well.." Lorelai trailed off uncertainly, "You know what they say about new years."

"Uhh. . . No, I don't know." Rory frowned, wondering what her mother was talking about.

"Well, they say that… The way that you spend New Year will dictate how you spend the rest of the year." Rory's groan came through the phone lines quite clearly, and Lorelai hastened to assure her, "I'm sure that that's just a myth, hunny."

"No, you're probably right. I'll spend this year breaking up with guy after guy that can't commit. … I'm doomed."

"No, what you need to do Ror is just settle down, and stop looking for a guy… let the right guy come to you."

"That's the whole point, Mom. Every guy that'll come to me this year is going to be a total commitment-phobe. I'm cursed."

"Well…" Lorelai paused, "You could always make this a man-free year?" 

Rory closed her eyes, and grabbed a nearby throw pillow. Bringing it to her face, she screamed. A few seconds later, she replied, "I can't. . . I'm twenty seven now. I want to be married and have a kid, or at least one on the way by the time that I'm thirty. What I need is a guy with a guarantee that he won't tuck-tail and sprint in the opposite direction when things get serious."

"Well, I don't think that you're going to get that. Unless of course you get a Mail order husband. You know, one of those foreign guys that are so desperate to get into the US that they'd get married."

"Hm." Rory narrowed her eyes, thinking.

At her daughters pause, Lorelai's eyes widened, "I was joking about that mail order man thing, you know that, right?"

"What? Oh, yea, I know Mom. But… I think that I have the next best thing. I'll talk to you later. Love you, and hug Luke for me. Bye." Rory hung up the phone, leaving a speechless Lorelai on the other end. 

Walking towards her laptop, she smiled. "Yea. The next best thing."

*~**~*~**~*

"Nobody gets it Curtis, I'm telling ya'." Tristan DuGrey ranted as he paced back and forth, back and forth, back and forth in his trendy upscale New York apartment. His dog, the dark chocolate lab that he was directing all of his thoughts to, was lounging on the black leather sofa, his coat blending with the dark leather. Curtis yawned, and dropped his head back onto his paws, wearily watching his master as he continued on his track, back and forth.

"My mother tells me that I have to get married so I'll continue the family name with the offspring that she's expecting my future wife to drop like cattle. My father, he says that if I hope to be made a partner before I'm in my fifties I should get married, settle down, and show a little restraint in chasing skirts. Ha! Like he's one to talk." Tristan paused to look out the floor to ceiling window, hardly seeing the lit up skyline at all.

"And the partners themselves," He ran his hands through his tousled hair, one of his rebellions that he had kept since he was a teenager, "Either they're throwing their eligible daughters, or in some cases, Granddaughters at me, or they make comments like 'It'd be good to see you settle down, be happy.'

"And it's not that I don't want to settle down, have a wife, and maybe even a child, because I do, Curtis, I really do. It's just that everybody I meet… they know who I am. They know, 'there's that DuGrey boy, he's young, eligible and loaded.'" He mocked the jeweled matrons that had been whispering about him behind his back for years,

"I swear, after I had that stupid article written about me in that…magazine, the vultures have been hunting. I'm one of New York's most Eligible Bachelors Under Thirty, you know. Granted, I was number thirty five, but apparently, the other fifteen didn't have my 'good looks'. You didn't see Casey Mallors full body picture in there, did you? No. Why? Because, I don't think that the girls would go ga-ga over his prematurely balding head, and beer gut, would they? No-siree." Tristan cringed as he heard himself use the phrase that when he had heard used before, he had inwardly scoffed at.

Walking over to the couch, he sighed tiredly as he sat beside his dog, "I want to fall in love. I want to be so in love that I don't know my knees from my ass. But I can't find love with every girl out there throwing themselves at me for my money. I want a woman to love me for me. I want someone who doesn't care about the money that I have in my bank account, or the people I know, or my family. I want somebody to know me. The real me. The me that I don't let anybody see." He looked down as he felt a weight settle on his legs. Curtis looked up at him with sad eyes, patting his dog's head, Tristan settled back into his plush sofa. "I know, you know that me. I want someone that I love to know that me, too. . .and I want her to love him."

He grabbed the remote that was laying on the small table that was beside the arm of the couch, he turned the television on, flipping station after station, ignoring the channels that were still live from various New Years Eve parties across the country. Finally giving up looking for anything at all amusing, he stopped on a random station that he was sure he only received due to his state-of-the-art satellite system, that was playing the predictable late night infomercials, he dropped his head on the back of the couch, zoning out the voice that was currently trying to pawn a set of stainless steel knives off on him for the amazing payment of only two payments of £69.95, a station from England, his guess that the satellite had been the reason that he received the channel was confirmed. 

Continuously patting his lab on the head had lulled them both, well, it had rendered one unconscious, and had Tristan in a trance-like state, thinking about his love life, or rather lack thereof. He noticed that the annoying infomercial had stopped, and he lifted his head to look at the screen, frowning as he saw words, and heard the powerful voice boom from the surround sound speakers that were placed strategically in the corners of the wall behind him

'TIRED OF HAVING NO LOVE IN YOUR LIFE?

WISH THAT WOULD CHANGE?

WELL, NOW IT CAN!

YOU CAN JOIN. . .

LONDONPERSONALS.COM!!'

It continued to harp about the successful pairings of many couples, but Tristan paid no mind as he turned the television off. Looking over at the door that led to his small office, he smirked, a plan forming in his mind. Finally satisfied, he lay his head back once again, unwilling to move and disrupt his sleeping dog. Closing his eyes, he sighed, for once thinking that his love life might be about to look up.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN #1 – Jayde(coffeechick87): Hi! Thank you so much for all of your reviews, I loved reading them. I'm so sorry for the delay in updating. I have to admit, it was my fault. Sorry. I've been working on Chapter 2, my eyes had been freaking out, so I couldn't sit at my computer for extended periods of time. I have a new prescription in my glasses, so it's much better now. **

Anyway, this is how the co-writing is working with me and Didi. We each write one chapter, and then switch. I wrote the prologue (and the first part of this, I was bored, and she wasn't online. lol), and she wrote most of this. I write the second Chapter, and she'll write the 3'd, etc, etc… Then we give the chapters to each other so we can change things, correct things, and stuff. 

I'll step off my soap-box now, and let Didi speak. lol

**AN #2 – Didi(Siaram): Hi!  Thank you for the reviews, loved them all.  Everything that was to be said has already been said by my co-writer… I hope you all like it, Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1**

  "You joined an online dating service?!" Lane knew that she would have choked on her eggs if she hadn't just swallowed them.

"What? There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting a little help in life."  Rory shook her head at her friend and took a sip of her coffee.  She and Lane were at their favorite New York Diner having their weekly breakfast.

"I never said that there was. It's just…you're letting a computer decide who the love of your life will be." She shrugged, "I find that…strange."

"Lane. When it comes to my love life, I need all the help that I can get. You know that more than anybody else."

"True. You do have bad luck when it comes to men." She sighed into her own coffee, "I'm really lucky to have Dave again."

"Yes. You are." Rory smiled, "Now, tell me all about your New Years. You told me that Dave was taking you out…"

*~**~*~**~*

  Rory sighed as she dropped her purse down on the small table that was near the front door to the apartment, "Coffee…" she moaned piteously. Shuffling through the living room, and then turning into her small (what she called _cozy) kitchen, she flipped the switch on the coffee machine.  Within minutes, the smell of freshly brewed coffee had permeated through the entire apartment.  Armed with her favorite cup (shaped like a cat, with the tail as the handle) full of coffee, she took a sip as she walked over to her computer desk._

  Quickly turning on her laptop, she sat in the big winged chair that served as her computer chair. She particularly enjoyed the chair because she could tuck her feet under her while she was sitting in it, as she had done now.  Taking another sip of her coffee, she opened up an internet browser, and typed in the address for the online personals company that she had signed up with.  The main reason that she had signed up with that particular site was that it was only for residents of New York City. She didn't want to go with a company that said that her 'true love' lived in California, or worse, Alaska. No, she'd rather _not have a butt-numbingly long ride to meet the man of her dreams._

  Quickly finding where to log in, she frowned, trying to remember what she'd called herself, and then her password.

Login: Lorelai_III

Password: coffee

  She scrawled the information on a spare sheet of paper, knowing that either she would forget it, or end up typing in one of her other screen names instead.

  Going into her 'Inbox', she frowned as she saw 10 e-mails, each stating a man who might be her 'perfect match'. Opening up the 'explanation page', she read the part about the e-mails. Discovering that she would probably get from 5-15 men, all in varying rates of compatibility, she sighed. The rating was from 1-10, and she would only receive 'alerts', which is what she had in her inbox, from the men that rated an 8 or higher…well that explained the numbers that were in the subject line in her e-mails.

  Going back to her inbox, she clicked on the only one that was rated a 10. Reading over his statistics, she grimaced… he seemed, almost too perfect. Shaking her head, she went to the next.

  Ten minutes later, Rory only had one more e-mail left, and she had almost given up hope. Maybe the on-line dating thing wasn't for her. Opening the last one, she sighed.

LawGuy_DG

Age: 28

Compatibility Rating: 9

  Successful New York Lawyer. Looking for a stable woman to have a romance if the connection is there. Marriage and children a great possibility. Start out chatting, and then meet if it feels right.

  Hmm. Rory looked over the short e-mail again. It certainly _looked_ promising, and it even said that he'd want children.  She looked at the clock that was beside the computer, 11 o'clock PM.  She saved the e-mail, and checked the box that she had read was to alert the main computer that she had read the profile, and thought it was worth checking out. From what she understood, if the other member also read her profile, and thought her suitable, they would be given a unique code for a private chat room within the web site.

After getting the instant, 'Your Message Has Been Received And Is Being Processed' response, she closed her browser, and turned off the computer.  Stretching as she got up, she wandered to her bedroom. Maybe she would have good luck with that internet stuff. She certainly hoped so.

*~**~*~**~*

Tristan entered his apartment exhausted after a long day in court trying to defend a hopeless case.  Exasperated, he fell on the black leather sofa, trying to rest for a minute, but is disturbed by a hungry Curtis begging for food the best way he can.  Tristan got up and walked in direction of the kitchen when he passed by his office door.  He changed his mind, deciding to go check if he got any compatibility with anyone on the online personals company he just registered with.  Tristan used the quick link he has made to see the login screen appear. 

Login: LawGuy_DG

Password: Curtis

Going into his 'inbox', a smile appeared on his features as he told Curtis.

"Check this out Curtis, I have fourteen matches!  Guess it wasn't just my money and good looks after all!"

Reading his potential matches descriptions, he started to look dispirited from the lack of interest he felt toward the candidates.  After reading eight emails, he screamed in frustration.

"This is not serious!  They're all descriptions saying things like 'I'm beautiful and smile, I'm a good house keeper, want to get married, have kids and take care of them at home.' Or this one is even better: 'Looking for a relationship with a successful man, get married and have kids only if he insists.'  I could have found the perfect trophy wife in my parent's rolodex!  I should have thought about it first!  I'm an idiot, thinking a computer could find me the woman of my dreams!"

Tristan resumed his reading and the twelfth one caught his attention.

Lorelai_III

Age: 27

Compatibility Rating: 9

  Independent and successful reporter. Looking for a man unafraid of commitment to have a romance if the chemistry is there. Possibility of marriage and children only if it feels right. Start out chatting to get to know each other and then meet if there are enough common interests.

Tristan saved the e-mail, and checked the box to alert the main computer that she had read the profile, and thought it was worth checking out. After getting the instant, 'Your Message Has Been Received And Is Being Processed' response, Tristan resumed his reading to the last two emails in his mailbox.

He walked down to the kitchen to eat something quick and filled Curtis's water and food bowls.

"You know Curtis, it all seemed simple yesterday.  Now, out of fourteen possible matches, only one raised my interest a bit and the worst of it all is, that maybe she'll look at my description and send it to the trash."  Shaking his head, he went back to his office, closed his computer and went to bed.

*~**~*~**~*

Rory woke up Sunday morning at the crack of dawn.  She mumbled something about the seventh day, and that people should be resting most of it.  As sleep continued to elude her, she decided to get up, prepare her coffee, take a quick shower and read most of the day. After a pot of coffee and about hundred pages, she fell asleep, curled on the couch.

*~**~*~**~*

Tristan woke up Sunday morning a little past noon with a slight headache lingering from the previous night.  After a long hot shower, he drank a couple of cups coffee before deciding to go back to bed.

*~**~*~**~*

Rory woke up again as the sun started to set.  She grabbed the phone to order Indian food.  While waiting for her delivery to arrive, she checked her mailbox.

*~**~*~**~*

Tristan woke up again to be surrounded by the soft light of the sunset.  Walking inside the kitchen to seek for food, he discovered an expired bottle of milk and leftovers of the previous weeks pizza. Taking the phone to order Indian food, he decides to go check his mailbox while waiting.

*~**~*~**~*

Rory realized that she has another six emails with compatibility ratings, and a last one with 'Chat room available for you and your perfect match'.  Curious, she read the last email first.

*~**~*~**~*

Tristan saw that nine new emails are present.  One of them stating 'Chat room available for you and your perfect match'.  Smirking, Tristan opened it first.

'You have shown interest in meeting Lorelai_III.  Lorelai_III has also shown interest in meeting you.  A private chat room has been set up for you to talk.  You can find the room under the chat section.  Select the room LawGuy_DG&Lorelai_III, your unique code to enter that room is LawGuy_DG9compatibility.  For the first meeting, we took the liberty to set up an appointment which will be held Sunday, January 8th, 2012 at eight sharp.  If you can't be present at the selected time, we would be grateful that you inform us as soon as possible to reschedule another appointment.

  At the same time, the team of NYC-love.Com would like to inform you that we only set the first meeting up, the following will have to be organized by you and your partner.'

Checking the time, Tristan sighed wondering how he's going to fill the next three hours.

*~**~*~**~*

After reading her email, Rory grabbed the phone to call Lane and tell her about her chat meeting.  She was about to hang up after the fourth ring when she heard Lane's breathless voice.

"Lane!  I've got a chat meeting tonight!"

"Rory, breathe, that's what you wanted right?"  Rory started pacing around her small apartment.

"You don't get it Lane!  What if I like this man and he likes me and we finally meet and he's short and fat!"  Lane started to laugh on the other receiving hand.

"Rory, what if he's really hot and well built and you fall in love at first sight?"

"What would he do subscribing to a personal ad online then?"

"You've got a point there, but what's the harm in trying? Anyway, You signed up with a online personal company! Nothing's wrong with you."

"Yeah, right. I guess it can't be that bad."

*~**~*~**~*

Tristan had been waiting in the chat room for about half an hour while playing internet heart.  When he saw the expected message on his screen '**Lorelai_III** has entered the chat room', he took a deep breath, and began to type,

**LawGuy_DG : I've been expecting you.**

**Lorelai_III : Hi.  I'm a bit nervous.  First time.**

**LawGuy_DG : my first time also.  So, what's your name?**

**Lorelai_III: Lorelai… You?**

**LawGuy_DG: Xavier.  Tell me Lorelai, what do you do for fun?**

**Lorelai_III: read, hang out with friends, watch movies. You?**

**LawGuy_DG: hang out with friends, piss off my parents, watch movies.  What kind of movies do you like?**

**Lorelai_III : anything I can mock.  What about you?**

**LawGuy_DG: about all action movies, but I guess you would mock those which makes us like the same kind.**

**Lorelai_III: oh! I like romance too, I can mock the fake tears and the way fate always tears people apart when they are meant to be together, how the new wife is killed to let them be together.**

**LawGuy_DG: do you believe in fate?**

**Lorelai_III: I don't know, sometimes I guess.  But lately, not really.  You?**

**LawGuy_DG: I don't believe in fate.  I think that sad people rely on fate to help them get through the day.  I've read you're a reporter.  What do you write about?**

**Lorelai_III: right now, I write the general interest column of the newspaper I work for**

**LawGuy_DG : which would be?**

**Lorelai_III : can we not exchange that kind of too personal info.?  I'm still a bit uncomfortable**

**LawGuy_DG : sorry, I didn't… Well, I just wanted to know a little about you.  Tell me about you**

**Lorelai_III : well, I come from a small town, raised by a single mother.  I graduated high school and college as Valedictorian.  I love to read and write. Sadly, I don't have pets, other than a few fish.  Tell me a bit about you now**

**LawGuy_DG : I come from a normal sized city where gossip runs wild.  I'm far from close to my parents.  I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger and I'm still paying for them.  Now I try to help youths that lost their direction somewhere along the line.  I have a dog named Curtis**

**Lorelai_III : I have a question, I don't want to be rude or anything but why did you decide to join a meeting program?**

**LawGuy_DG : I don't really want to talk about that.  But basically it's just that it's really hard to get a woman to get to know the real you**

**Lorelai_III : Ok…**

**LawGuy_DG : what about you?  Why did you register?**

**Lorelai_III: because I was sick of guys that were scared of commitment**

**LawGuy_DG: is that all you want?  A ring around your finger, and kids?**

**Lorelai_III:  no, I want to fall in love and the other person to fall in love with me also.  But I want a family someday, a family where we fold the laundry together and don't have to fight to pay the bills.  I want to be exhausted by the kids and have someone to take over for a bit while I go relax in a hot tub**

**LawGuy_DG : sounds nice.  Would you be working?**

**Lorelai_III : at home, in an office away from home, I don't care. I just want to be part of a team**

**LawGuy_DG: and in that bath, would the husband or boyfriend be allowed?**

**Lorelai_III: only if the kids are asleep!**

**LawGuy_DG : would he be able to make love to you to relax you?**

**Lorelai_III : yes, as long as he scrubs my back first!  Now, what about you? What do you expect to find here?**

**LawGuy_DG : a woman I'll fall in love with and that will also fall in love with me.  A woman I can share all my secrets with.  To be able to raise a family and be partners in love and life.  Be in love no matter what you look like.  Just be in love.  That's what I want**

**Lorelai_III : ok, before we get further, I need to know.  Although physical features aren't ever my first priority, I need to know.  Are you short? Fat? Ugly?**

**LawGuy_DG : I don't think so, unless you call a blond haired guy with blue eyes, good teeth, 170 pounds and a little over six feet tall, that.  I don't think so.  What about you?**

**Lorelai_III : well, I'm a blue eyed brunette.  125 pounds and I'm 5'8".  Ordinary ears and feet.**

**LawGuy_DG : sounds nice, so why are you single?**

**Lorelai_III : seems like all the guys I've met are afraid of commitment.  I don't know really.  It's just never worked out**

**LawGuy_DG : I know the feeling.  So tell me Lorelai, would you like to meet me again tomorrow for a little chat?**

**Lorelai_III : sure, how about same time same place?**

**LawGuy_DG : I'll be here.  but before I go… what are you wearing? lol**

Rory looked down at her flannel PJ's and decided to bluff a little.

**Lorelai_III : usually it's flannel but unfortunately, tonight I'm almost wearing nothing.  Only a wet towel from coming out of the shower.**

Tristan smiled at that, taking a deep breath, he typed again.

**LawGuy_DG : I like that, I'm only wearing satin boxers, all ready for you to take them off me. lol**

**Lorelai_III : lol… maybe I will tomorrow!**

**LawGuy_DG : I hope so!**

**Lorelai_III : I'll talk to you tomorrow, Xavier!**

**LawGuy_DG : ttyt Lorelai!**

*~**~*~**~*

Thanks for reading; we'd love to know what you think of this chapter!

-**Jayde** & **Didi****. (****JayDI)******


	3. Chapter 2

**AN1 ~ Jayde:** Thank you all so _so_ much for the reviews and replies. I love all of you. Really. I want to give each of you a big hug! I hope that you like this update, I worked quite hard on it. :p  Again, thank you.

**AN2 ~ Didi: **Thank you for all the reviews… I loved them and the reviewers even more.  This chapter was basically Jayde's but next one is mostly mine…  Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2**

  Rory stared at the blinking cursor in frustration; she was supposed to be writing about the new wing that was being built at the local hospital. It had been funded by a donation from a wealthy man who had spent the last years of his life in and out of the hospital. Usually she could easily write an article about a new hospital wing, or even (as she had proved in high school) the re-paving of a parking lot. But there seemed as if there was a wall blocking the words that she knew were in her head, not allowing them to actually appear on the screen.

  Growling, she closed the program, and opened a web browser. Quickly going to her favorites, she opened the login page of NYClove.com. Typing in the information, she smiled when in her inbox, there was an e-mail from Xavier.

_Lorelai,_

_I can't tell you how glad that I am that we've met, and although I know that we've only known each other for a little over a week, I know that you're someone special. I'm not saying that I'm in love with you or anything, yet. But I do think that we have some kind of connection. Be it friendship, or love, I know that you are an amazing person._

_So, I'm not sure if I have the right to ask this, and frankly, I don't know if it's what you're supposed to do, but I'm asking you not to see anybody else. Or chat, rather. lol There it is, the obviousness that I've never had an online relationship. Because that's what I would like with you. A relationship._

_Now, if you feel comfortable with that, just send me an e-mail telling me that, yes, I will be your exclusive e-mail partner (what would the term be, anyway? lol). And if you don't feel comfortable being 'exclusive' with me at this point, then tell me that. I'll wait, if you want me to._

_Now, I'll stop typing, because I'm sure that if I don't, I'll make an idiot out of myself, one way or another. lol_

_ttyl__,_

**_X._**

 Rory laughed lightly, reading the e-mail. She was sure that if she had attempted writing one, she couldn't have done much better, and she wrote _professionally_. Hitting the reply button with her cursor, she smiled as she started to type.

_Xavier,_

_  First of all, let me complement you on how succinctly you put the message: Can we type to each other exclusively. lol_

_  I don't deny the fact that this… on-line courtship, if you will, is a rather odd way to start a relationship, but I'm sure that by now you've learned that I am a rather **odd** person. I feel it, too. The connection. And, I would be happy to be your 'exclusive e-mail partner', as you put it._

_ I do have to tell you, that I'm going home to my mother's for the weekend, so I'll probably be incommunicado. I leave tomorrow(well, actually later today, seeing as it's almost __1am__), and will be back Sunday night, so I'll probably not be able to 'talk' to you until Monday night. Sorry._

_ttyl__,_

**_L._**

  Rory smiled softly as she hit Send, and then frowning, she leaned forward and looked for the place to check if she wanted to stop receiving profiles from any candidates for romance. She idly wondered why she hadn't done it before, she hadn't really looked at any of them since she had started chatting with Xavier.

 Sighing, she uncurled herself from her computer chair, and stood, stretching.  Walking to her bedroom, she paused to shake a little bit of dried fish food into the tank that was placed against her living room wall. "G'night, fishies." She watched for a moment as a few fish wandered up to the surface to much on the flakes, and then walked into her bedroom, already half asleep.

*~**~*~**~*

"Mommy!!" Rory stepped inside the front door of the old semi-Victorian that she had lived in since she was a young girl, "I'm home!" Tilting her head, she frowned when she didn't hear an answering call from her mother, or the more familiar greeting of hurried footsteps sprinting down the stairs as fast as humanly possible. "Mom?" She wandered into the kitchen, and then opened the door to her room and set her bag on the end of her bed. The room hadn't been changed for years, and still mementos from her high school career, pictures, and old, old, _old_ post-it-notes from her mother that said silly things like: **_Don't Study too hard, and SMILE!!_**, and **_Marshmallows!...See, I knew that would make ya' laugh_**, stuck on the walls.

  Walking back into the kitchen, and through to the living room, Rory frowned. Slowly walking up the steps, she passed the washroom, and then stood at the door of her mother's room, listening intently. "Mom?"

 Hearing nothing, she brought one hand to the doorknob, and the other to cover her eyes. Opening the door quickly, she stepped into the room, "I'm here!" She was met with silence, and she opened her fingers a crack, and let out a sigh of relief when she found the room empty.

  She had learned quickly to make a lot of noise when coming home, and to _always_ knock when she wanted to move into another room. Any room with a door, anyway. She had had a run in with a very…_occupied_ Luke and Lorelai when she had come home in the middle of her fourth year so she could study at home for a big test, and had walked distractedly into the washroom, her mind on the studying that she had in store for her, and had found her mother and Luke in the shower together.

   Thankfully, they had a very dark green shower curtain, so she didn't see anything. She could only imagine what she would have done if it had been a week earlier when her mother had had a transparent shower curtain with cheerful duckies and frogs on it. She still thank God that that hadn't been the case. 

  Walking back downstairs, Rory looked around, and finally saw the note that she was seeking. It was taped to the top of the coffeepot, a place that Lorelai knew her daughter would wander over to, eventually.

_Rory, (a.k.a, The fruit of my loins, Sweet Child O' Mine, my namesake)_

_By the time that you read this, I'll probably be done with the 'emergency' that Michel had over at the Dragonfly, and sitting at Lukes bugging the hell out of him for coffee. Oh, the perks of being 'romantically attached', as you put it, with the diner guy. I still don't get why you don't let me say that I'm 'Doin' the Diner Guy', Cause that's how I put it all the time._

_Anyway, Meet me._

_Mommy.___

*~**~*~**~*

"Luuuuke! I need some more coffeeee! I thought it was one of the perks of sleeping with you." There was a pause. "No pun intended."

  Rory smiled as she opened the diner door and heard her mothers mournful wail, with a bit of wit mixed in. A true Gilmore trait.

"No."

"Pleeeeease?" Begging, another Gilmore trait. Hearing the bell above the door chime as Rory walked in, Lorelai spun around, "Baby!!" She jumped off the high stool that she was sitting at the counter on, and opened her arms.

"Mommy!" Smiling at their familiar greeting, Rory grinned as she launched herself at her mother, hugging her vigorously. Although they had daily conversations via the telephone, Rory missed Lorelai fiercely. One tends to get attached to their mother. Stepping back, she grinned over her mothers shoulder at Luke. "Can I have some coffee, please?"

  Almost instantly, a large cup of coffee was placed in front of the stool that Rory was starting to sit down –or rather, up, because it was waist high– on.

  Lorelai's mouth dropped open, "Why does she get coffee, and I don't?! I'm prettier!!" 

_Yep_, Rory thought with an inner sigh of bliss as she took the first sip of her coffee, _She__ was definitely home_.

*~**~*~**~*

  Tristan smiled again as he was introduced to yet another important person that were in attendance at the party that he was attending. His jaw ached from smiling, and his hand had been blessedly numb since and hour into the night. Shaking hands with people so much had almost cut-off the blood supply to his appendage after about the fiftieth enthusiastic pump. He still had to make it though the full dinner, _and_ speeches. God help him. It was for a good cause, true… but it was hell on his patience level, not very high to begin with.

  Smiling still he excused himself, and strolled over to the bar, "Scotch, On the Rocks." Glancing over the crowd again, he sighed, "Better make that a double." He slid a bill over the polished wood, even though he knew that the drinks were free. Looking over at the bartender, a Korean woman who was in a red velvet tunic that, along with black slacks served as the uniform for the waiters, she however had paired them with chunky red and black earrings, and bracelets that added a little bit of fare to the boring attire. "You, my dear, are a life saver." He tipped his glass at her, and took a sip, the alcohol calming his frazzled nerves.

"And you, Sir, are a very good tipper." 

  Tristan grinned, and nodded again, "Back to the wolves." With his drink in hand, he blended back in to the crowd.

  Lane watched him go, a small frown marring her features. She knew him from somewhere, she knew it, but she couldn't think of where. Shaking her head, she tucked the crisp twenty into one of the many hidden pockets that were hidden in her shirt. 

"I'm back, Boss. Sorry, there was a long line for the washroom." 

  Lane looked over her shoulder and smiled at the man behind her, "It wasn't any problem Jordan, bathroom breaks are allowed occasionally."

  Jordan flushed, and re-took his place at the bar as an older couple strolled over. Lane walked away, leaving him expertly mixing the drinks. Walking over to the almost hidden doors, she walked into the bustling kitchen, and quickly grabbed a canapé off of one of her employees' trays as he walked by.

 Smiling, she bit into the mini-spring roll, and walked over to where the champagne was being poured into tall flutes, "Dannie, I got it. You go to the washroom; it looks like you're going to burst. And grab a plate of something off Sheila. You haven't eaten yet."

  Danny, smiled gratefully, and handed her the bottle of expensive wine. "Thanks, Boss."

  She shook her head, "Why does everybody insist on calling me that?" She wondered aloud.

"Because we love you, Boss." Sheila, the thirty-something chef smiled at Lane, and loaded some cheeses onto another serving tray.

"Well, I love you, too. And they don't call you 'Boss', and you own twenty-eight percent of the company!"

"True. But I only cook. Have you notice that they call me 'Chef'? You do everything else, and then pitch in with the cooking. 'Boss' fits."

"Oh, go away." Lane laughed as she continued to pour wine, and then set the empty bottle under the table with the others. Grabbing another spring roll from a plate of extras that she made sure was always available for her staff, she spotted Jamie, another waitress, and snapped her fingers at her, rather than trying to talk around the food in her mouth. She motioned to the tray of champagne, and smiled when Jamie hurried over and took the champagne out to the party.

"And you wonder why they call you 'Boss'."

 Lane looked over at Sheila, swallowed hurriedly, and then laughed.

  An hour later, Lane groaned as she watched the fish course being wheeled away to the diners in the auditorium. "Why did I agree to do this for free?"

"It's for the Inner City Orphanage."

"Screw the orphans. My feet hurt."

  Sheila laughed, "You don't mean that."

Shaking her head, Lane sighed, "I know." She leaned against the counter, and took off her shoes, looking at them sadly. "They look pretty, but they're hell on the toes."

"That's why I only wear _small_ heels. Repeat it with me: _Small_."

  "I hate you."

  "So, who is in attendance? You got to actually see some of the action in the ballroom. Tell me."

  Lane shrugged, "The usual suspects. The mayor. A few high power CEOs. Donald Trump."

Sheila sighed, "Anyone dishy?"

"'Dishy'?" Laughing, she shook her head, "Didn't that word go out with the fifties? Anyway, you're married."

"So? It doesn't hurt to look. I wouldn't be human if I didn't. Again, Tell me."

"I guess. I didn't look, really. I was too busy… There was one guy, though…" She trailed off.

"Ohhh… Do I have to tell Dave to watch out?" Sheila teased,

  Lane shook her head, chuckling, "No, it's just that… I'd swear that I met him before. I don't know, he just looks really familiar."

"Well, you could have seen him in the paper, or something. It wouldn't be impossible."

"That's probably it." She turned around, "Let's start plating that dessert. Your cheesecake looks absolutely sinful."

*~**~*~**~*

**End AN1 ~ Jayde**: So, what did you all think of the whole Tristan/Lane interaction? I hope you enjoyed.

 J.

**End AN2 ~ Didi**: Hope you liked it… Next chapter is coming soon!


	4. Chapter 3

**_Author's note: _**Hey everyone! We are both sorry (Jayde and I) that it took so long to post this update. This chapter has been written for a while now but Jayde has been away from the net for almost two months. Jayde also said that she's working very hard on the next chapter and this story will be updated as soon as possible. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 3**

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Lane looked out of the window of this cozy little café, checking her watch for the tenth time as she waits for Rory to meet her for their Monday morning breakfast. The bells above the door chimed signaling someone entering. Looking up, Lane smiled at her best friend, relief drawn on her face.

"I hope it's okay that I already ordered for the both of us. Since you were so late, I figured you'd have to eat fast to be on time at work."

"Oh, it's okay. You ordered the usual right?"

"Yes, with extra whipped cream and chocolate chips over your pancakes."

"Perfect. Sorry I'm late; I came home very late last night. Mom didn't want to let me leave until I get another cup of coffee rambling about the way I was all grown up and that she was getting old, that I should take her in my apartment or move back to her house to fight her loneliness."

Lane laughed as the waitress interrupted their conversation to serve them. Lane took a sip of her coffee, "How did you manage to leave this time?"

"I reminded her that when I am away from the house, she can have sex with Luke anywhere without me knowing about it."

_  
  
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Near the back of the small café, where it was quieter, Tristan and his partner (also known as his closest friend) discussed the charity event that was held over the weekend.

"Come on Tristan, it couldn't be that bad."

"Well, obviously you weren't there to witness how boring this event was. How convenient that your wife was on a business trip last weekend and that your son got sick. By the way, how is he doing?"

Steven laughed, "Seems it was only a twenty four hours virus. You know it's a wonderful excuse a family. When are you going to try dating again?"

Tristan got closer to Steven, not to be heard by his surrounding. "Actually, I have an exclusive e-mail partner."

Shocked by the news, Steven screamed, "What?" Tristan looked at the wall beside him as the other customers looked over at them disapprovingly.

_  
  
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_

"Some people have no manners." An old woman near the table Lane and Rory sat exclaimed.

Rory glanced at the table in the back and giggled as she saw a man trying to hide under the table as his companion was laughing loudly. Returning to her conversation with Lane, Rory forgot about the commotion on the other side of the café.

"He asked me to be his exclusive e-mail partner."

Munching on her food slowly, Lane took her time to respond, "And you accepted?"

Finishing her cup of coffee, Rory signaled for another cup of coffee to the waitress and nodded, "It's just weird. We have so much in common even though we've never seen each other. I have the feeling he has this vulnerable side, like when he asked me to be 'exclusive', his words sounded so uncertain of my reaction. I just really like his personality."

Pensive, Lane finished her breakfast, "I just hope you don't get too disappointed by him. As nice as he sounds, he could be anyone. He could even be that annoying guy laughing and disturbing everyone in the place."

Rory turned to watch the annoying guy who is now alone, reading some papers. "Gosh, I don't think so, Xavier said he was blond and this guy has red hair."

"That's beside the point…"

"I get it Lane. Just drop it will you? How did your catering went this weekend?"

"It went well, but there was this guy there that I can stop thinking about. I'm sure I met him or seen him before, but I can't remember from where."

"What did he look like?"

"Very good looking man, about our age with blond hair, blue eyes, very tall and well-dressed."

"That could be anyone."

"Yeah."

Checking her watch, Rory squeaked, "I have to go, I have a meeting in five minutes. I'll call you later Lane."

Left alone, Lane sighed, "And once again, she forgot it was her turn to pay."

_  
  
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Standing up, Steven chuckled, "When will you meet that pen pal of yours?"

Tristan dropped a bill on the table, putting his jacket on, "I don't know, she doesn't want to give too much personal information, which is a good thing because that way she doesn't know what my bank account looks like."

Nearing the exit, Tristan was seen by Lane who sat quietly listening to what she could hear of their conversation. "Okay, but what if she looks for a lawyer named Tristan?"

"She doesn't know me as Tristan, well not yet anyway."

As Lane watched the two men leave, she tried to remember a Tristan.

_  
  
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Exhausted after her long day at the office, Rory walked inside her bathroom, filled the tub with hot water, poured some lavender oil to help her relax. While the water ran, she went inside the kitchen taking a random box of leftovers, and placed it in the microwave to warm it up. Eating the food as fast as she can, she grabbed a book to go enjoy her bath.

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Ecstatic, Tristan entered his apartment to be greeted by Curtis. His day couldn't have been better; he had won a case in trial that reunited a kid with his mother after she had lost her daughter under false accusations the grandparents had made to have custody of the baby. Then he had celebrated his victory with Steven in this nice little bar. Walking inside his office, he opened his computer to wait for his chat session with Lorelai.

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Rory came out of her bath a little late for her chat session. As soon as she entered the chat room,

**LawGuyDG****: **I was wondering if you had changed you mind.

**LorelaiIII****: **Sorry, I lost track of time in a warm bath.

**LawGuyDG****: **You should have invited me, I would have lit the candles and served you wine.

**LorelaiIII****: **And then?

**LawGuyDG****: **I would have scrubbed your back to help you relax.

**LorelaiIII****: **I can always go back in the tub. lol

**LawGuyDG****: **Are you inviting me over?

**LorelaiIII****: **Well, not yet. Rain check on that?

**LawGuyDG****: **Sure. How was your day?

**LorelaiIII****: **Exhausting, I woke up late, had to run to meet my friend for breakfast, then I had to run to be on time at a meeting. I've been running all day and it seems like I didn't do anything. How was your day?

**LawGuyDG****: **I won a case, it was a very emotional moment. Then I went celebrating with my partner.

**LorelaiIII****: **How was that charity event last weekend?

**LawGuyDG****: **You have no idea how boring that was. The food was great, but the people are going there to impress other with their donations, they all try to find out who did the most generous donation and who did the cheapest.

**LorelaiIII****: **Sounds very depressing.

**LawGuyDG****: **Well, it was. How was your weekend with your mom?

**LorelaiIII****: **Crazy! lol, we had tones of coffee and junk food while my mom's boyfriend was lecturing us that we would rot our insides and die a painful death.

**LawGuyDG****: **lol, sounds entertaining.

**LorelaiIII****: **Well, my mom is crazy and a lot of fun. Nothing is boring when she's around. She acts like a high school girl that never grew up.

**LawGuyDG****: **Is that a bad thing?

**LorelaiIII****: **No, I grew up with a best friend and most of the time I was the one ending grounding her.

**LawGuyDG****: **lmao, should be an very amusing sight.

**LorelaiIII****: **When I wanted to study, she wanted to play; I had to promise to play with her on the weekend.

**LawGuyDG****: **Were you a good student?

**LorelaiIII****: **I could say that. I finished high school valedictorian. Were you?

**LawGuyDG****: **I could have been if I hadn't been distracted by doing stupid things. I got caught a lot but let's not talk about that. Let's lighten the mood.

**LorelaiIII****: **Okay… What was your most embarrassing kiss?

**LawGuyDG****: **Hummm, I think it was with this very beautiful girl I met last year. We went out for our first date, and last I might add, while we were dancing a slow in the bar we were finishing the evening at, I played with her hair, then we kissed.

**LorelaiIII****: **What's so embarrassing about that kiss?

**LawGuyDG****: **Well, you see, she tried to get my hand away from her hair but she was a little drunk, instead, all of her hair fell out on the floor. She had short brown hair under it. I asked her why the masquerade when she said in a masculine voice "I thought you knew I was a man."

Rory laughed as she read these lines.

**LorelaiIII****: **Wow, must be embarrassing. Lol

**LawGuyDG****: **What about yours?

**LorelaiIII****: **Well, in high school, there was this neurotic girl that hated me at first but we became sort of competing friends. In college, she asked her father to arrange it so we roomed together, which didn't make me happy. That same year, me, her, and two other high school girlfriends went to the beach on Spring break. At one party, my neurotic friend asked me how she kissed since she didn't want to ask a guy. All night, I was flirting with this cute guy, she caught me by surprise and kissed me. The guy came up to me and excused himself for bothering me all night since I already had a girlfriend. I wanted to kill her, but instead I ran away.

**LawGuyDG****: **LMAO.

**LorelaiIII****: **But we stayed friends even after that.

**LawGuyDG****: **I want to see you. Want to go on a date with me?

Rory frowned and thought back to what Lane had said earlier that day. She chewed on her lower lip and decided to say what was going through her mind,

**LorelaiIII****: **I don't know, you see, this morning during breakfast, there was this annoying guy laughing too loud after he practically screamed at his friend who was trying to hide under the table, and then my friend made me realize that you could be anyone in the café, including that annoying guy.

**LawGuyDG****: **What did that annoying guy look like?

**LorelaiIII****: **Red curly hair, tall, not bad looking but not really my type.

**LawGuyDG****: **What did his friend look like?

**LorelaiIII****: **I don't know, he was trying to hide the first time I checked and the second time he was gone.

**LawGuyDG****: **Where were you sitting?

**LorelaiIII****: **Near the window, why all these questions?

**LawGuyDG** : Because I was the guy trying to hide. I only saw an Asian woman near the windows; she was there when I got there as well as when I left. She looked really familiar for some reason.

**LorelaiIII****: **Freaky, you were really there.

**LawGuyDG****: **See, we're meant to see each other. Friday night, dinner and a movie?

**LorelaiIII****: **I'm not sure…

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Lane was searching for people with Tristan as a first name and lawyer at the same time. Discouraged by the amount of her search result, she dials Rory.

"Rory, I need your help."

"I'm kind of chatting with Xavier right now… Can I call you back later?"

"It'll only take a second, do you remember the guy who was laughing hard this morning?"

"Oh, yeah! I told Xavier about him and apparently, he was his friend that was trying to hide. Can you tell me what he looks like?"

"Who?"

"The guy that was laughing hard was with a friend, near the window when he got there was only you. The friend was Xavier."

Lane blanched as she scanned the list of the guests attending the charity event held last weekend. Seeing the name Tristan Xavier DuGrey.

"Lane? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here, what was the question again?"

She tried typing www.ChiltonAcademy.com. Clicking on the old student repertory, she selected the year 2000, scanning for the name, a click on Tristan's name and his picture slowly appears on the screen.

"The guy, did you see what he looked like?"

Not listening to Rory's question, Lane exclaimed, "Oh! No! I gotta go Rory!"

After hanging up, Lane looked more closely at the picture and as if talking to it, "I think I'll just sit back and enjoy the show for a while."


	5. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note (Siaram) : **I'm sorry for the lack of updates, it wasn't my fault but life took over and I couldn't update anything at all even less motivate someone else to. I just hope that for the lack of updates, you'll be satisfied with this chapter… I know, I was… but then... who am I to judge my own team? Review and let us know what you thought.  
**-Didi**_

_**AN (coffeechick87):** No, as **D** said, it's totally not her fault for the lack of updates. What can I say? With life, and a major case of writers block, this fic (and most of my others) got pushed to the back burner. I hope that I made up for the long wait with what's in this chapter, but that's for you all to decide. I like it, but that's just me. _

_Anyway, since it has been so long, I'm going to shut up now and just ask you one thing... can you please tell me (us) what you think?_

_-**Jayde**_

**_

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**Chapter 4**

"So? What did you say?" Lane asked eagerly at lunch the next day,

"What could I say? I was so shocked that he asked, so I said something like, 'I'll think about it', and then I said that I had to go." Rory cringed, "How idiotic was that?"

"It could have been worse, I mean, he could have. . . umm, I don't really know, but it could have been worse."

"You're just so much help right now."

Lane shrugged and looked at her best friend apologetically, "I tried." She paused, "Speaking of help... my sous chef is sick, and we have a big wedding to cater tonight... I don't suppose that you could help a friend in need, could you?"

"Uhh... Lane, you and I both know that if you even think of putting me near food that you have to serve you may as well call ahead for the paramedics. I hear that a bout of food poisoning could ruin a catering company." She bit her lip and smirked, "I hear that Martha Stuart is on parole, odds are that she needs a job."

"You know, it's sad, really, what happened with her."

"I know, I mean, one would think that stabbing somebody with a turkey baster on live TV would be on her list of things _not_ to do."

"Hmm..." Lane hummed her agreement, "Anyway, my alternate sous chef is working. The problem is that he's also a server, so now we're one short..."

"So you want me to carry heavy plates of food all night, and, literally, wait hand and foot on all of the rich snobs that hired you. Yay."

"Oh, please, don't sound so excited. And I promise I'll only get you to carry the canapés and stuff. Light things.

* * *

"I'll only get you to carry light things." Rory rolled her eyes as she blotted at a tomato sauce stain on the red velvet tunic that she had been forced to wear, yet again. The stain was the direct result of an incident consisting of a discarded shoe, and a tray full of veal parmesan. She was relatively lucky, since she had managed to regain her balance in time to save all but one of the dinners from slipping off of the tray, and onto her shirt. After that horrifyingly embarrassing debacle, she had retired to the back of the reception hall, sure that she wouldn't cause another disaster from outside. 

"This is _so _the last time that I'm doing this. I don't care if she's so short staffed that she has to cook, wait and bartend, I'm never _ever_ doing this again." She continued to mutter to herself as she scrubbed furiously at her front, and paced back and forth in the back alley that led to the employee parking lot. So distracted was she, that she didn't notice the sound of the door opening until she almost ran headlong into the man on her course back and forth.

"Oh, God." Rory jumped and closed her eyes, a wave of acute embarrassment washing over her for the second tome in half an hour. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there, and I was just... I'm sorry."

"It's fine. No harm done." The gravelly voice was warm, and faintly amused, and she scrunched her nose up, wishing for nothing but to sink right into the ground beneath her. Deciding to face reality like a woman, she slowly opened her eyes, and raised her head.

The sight that she met was at once both familiar and strange at the same time, and she almost did a comic double-take, a look of shock prominent on her soft features. "Tristan!"

* * *

Tristan looked over the sea of people in the dining hall where he sat, and grimaced as the man beside him chewed his dinner quite loudly. Trying to drown out the slow mulching of food adjacent to him, he looked over to his other side, only to be met with a sight that if he never saw once again, it would be too soon: A money hungry twenty-something trying to charm him out of his pants, and, if she had her way, his bachelorhood. Smiling stiffly, he carefully removed her death grip from his arm, sure that her hot pink talons had ripped their way through the Italian wool, and were about to start digging holes in his forearm. 

His eyes shifting now, he searched for any means of escape, a fire exit, an exit to an underground tunnel, a conveniently placed disappearing box and the magician to go with it. Hell, he'd dig the tunnel himself if he thought that he wouldn't ruin the antique silver spoons that were placed at every table, and that would be unbelievably rude. Finally settling on the kitchen as his best option, he looked at the woman next to him, but not after reading the small place card that was sitting in front of her,

"Excuse me Mixy, I really must excuse myself."

The blond pouted, "Awww, do you really have to go?" She started to stroke his arm and shifted attempting to show off more of her cleavage.

Tristan had to suppress a smirk at the fact that while she probably thought that she was talking in a seductive purr; all she succeeded in doing was make it sound as if she had a fur ball stuck in her throat. He forced his features into an as charming a smile as he could manage, and removed her hand from his arm, again. "I'm afraid so, I need to go to the little boys' room."

If it was possible, she pouted even more, "Well, if you really need to..." She sighed as her voice went from a choking cat to a baby girl, "You promise that you'll be back soon?"

Tristan only smiled at her as he rose from his seat, and made his way through the busy room towards the kitchen doors. Staying to the edges of the kitchen, he looked for the exit that he knew was there. Finally spotting the glowing red letters, he kept to the wall as he walked toward it. Stepping outside, he took a deep breath of relatively fresh air. He didn't realize that he wasn't alone until he was almost plowed over by a willowy brunette.

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there, and I was just... I'm sorry." She looked down, and he could almost see the tips of her ears grow red in the dim light.

He smiled, and shook his head, "It's fine. No harm done."

There was a slight pause, and he could see her take a breath and almost visibly relax before she lifted her head. As his eyes met hers, he was struck with such a feeling of familiarity that it almost took his breath away, and then she spoke;

"_Tristan!"_

He let his eyes roam over her face once more, before memory actually kicked in, "_Mary._"

* * *

They sat, on the ground of the dim alley. Him in his dapper pinstriped suit, and her, in her stained waitress garb. After a small mix-up, involving him mentioning that he never saw her as a career waitress, and her hastily correcting him, they spoke of what had happened since they had last seen each other. Their lives, their families and the upcoming Chilton Reunion that he had wrangled an invitation to, even though he hadn't graduated there. They laughed over the exploits of Paris, and the trouble that he had managed to get in even under the firm command of the many drill sergeants at his fine institution of learning. 

They were so caught up in catching up that they didn't notice that a wide eyed Lane was standing just outside the door, looking at them both frantically, wondering if they had any idea that they were, in actuality, each others online significant other. She softly cleared her throat to grab the attention of her best friend.

Startled at the unfamiliar noise, Rory looked up, "Hey, Lane." Looking back to Tristan, she grinned and stood, "I think duty calls. Lane, you remember Tristan, right?"

Lane blinked, "Yeah, good tipper. Also known as Bible Boy."

Grinning, Tristan got to his feet, "Nicknames already, Mary?" He extended his hand to Lane, "A pleasure to meet you, formally."

"Ditto." Lane smiled, and looked at Rory apologetically, "Sorry to steal you away from your little reunion, but Sandra broke her heel, and I have to get her to help prep in the kitchen, can you take her table over? It's the desert table now, so all you have to do is pour coffee." She gestured toward the stained shirt, "I have an extra tunic in the kitchen that you can use." She smiled at the pair of ex-Chiltonites, and excused herself.

When Lane had gone back inside, Rory threw Tristan an uncertain smile, "So, duty calls," she repeated, "It was really good to see you again, Tristan." Taking a deep breath, she gave him another smile, and reached into the back pocket of her slacks, fishing for her business card. Her mother had had them made after Rory had gotten her own column in the newspaper, she had been so proud that she had handed one out to almost all of the people in Stars Hollow, well, really, she gave them to Miss Patty, who circulated them throughout the town.

"Do you have a pen?"

Tristan frowned, before he reached in the inner pocket of his suit jacket and retrieved one.

Taking the pen, Rory hastily scribbled on the back of her card, and then held them both out to him, "Here's my card, I put my home number on the back, I usually work from there anyway, so that's the number that you can reach me at. We should have coffee or something sometime."

Grasping the business card in his hand, he looked down at the back of it and the hastily scrawled number there before he slid it into his dress pants. Searching his breast pocket of his suit, he pulled out his own card, and handed it to her.

She smiled as she slipped it into her slacks, and then hesitantly moved closer to him, giving him a friendly hug, "It was good to see you again, Tristan."

Tristan nodded as he let her go, feeling oddly empty as she backed away, "You too, Mary."

Rory rolled her eyes and smiled as she opened the door, and let her hand go out in a slight wave, "See you."

Tristan just stood there for a few moments, a small smile on his face. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face, dreading going back inside "Well, back to the wolves." He sighed one last time and opened the door.

* * *

Tristan sighed as he sorted through the myriad of business cards that had been stuffed into his pocket during the wedding of an associate's daughter the night before, 

"Jerk,"

One card into the trash drawer of his desk,

"Moron,"

Two cards,

"Felon,"

Three cards,

"Colorblind personal shopper,"

Four cards.

"Oh, holy shit."

_**Lorelai Gilmore III**_

**Journalist, General Interest**

**New York Star**

His mind stopped. Everything around him ground to a halt, and he just stared at the name written on the card. Lorelai Gilmore III. Lorelai III. LorelaiIII. He had met his online girlfriend and he hadn't even known.

No fucking way.

_Gilmore_. Rory.

He flipped the card over, knowing what he would see. Sure enough written in an even hand was her home phone number, and one other word. _Mary._

Tristan shook his head, and chuckled.

* * *

_Dear Xavier,_

_I told you that I'd think about the offer to meet with you. And I have. I've given it a lot of thought, actually. And after many conversations (with myself, and other people) I decided that I should do what I want... not that I wouldn't normally do what I want, because I do...and I'm not making any sense. Who would know that I'm a writer by trade if they read this?_

_Anyway, what I'm trying to say is; yes._

_Yes, I want to meet you. Yes, I want to go on an actual date with you. Yes, I want to see if this relationship could actually work in the 'real world' (no reality tv connotations intended). And finally, yes, I'd love to go to dinner and a movie with you on Friday._

_So, Friday night, we...meet at a restaurant? And then head to a show after? Or we could hit the movie first, and then have a late dinner?_

Rory cringed as she re-read the last paragraph. She sounded like an eager puppy, waiting for a treat. _Not _the mature woman that she was. But knowing that if she started to delete what she had typed, she would probably end up chickening out and delete the rest of the letter, she continued.

_Email me with the details, and we'll see if they work for the pair of us._

_I hope to hear from you soon, _

_-Lorelai._

As Tristan read the letter, he wasn't sure if he should be happy or not. Everything had changed since he realized who Lorelai was.

Well, not exactly everything, he slowly admitted to himself, but it certainly _did_ complicate a few things. He had feelings for Lorelai... _Rory_, he corrected himself mentally, he had had feelings for Rory before he even knew that it was her. And the chance meeting the evening before had proven that he was physically attracted to her as well.

Although, when he had been with Rory the night before, he had also been thinking about Lorelai... _her_. Rory.

_Oh, hell. I'm_ _confusing myself now._ Tristan ran his hands over his face, and sighed.

When he had spoken with Rory, he had felt an attraction, true. But it had been an attraction that he wouldn't have acted on because of Lorelai. However, now that he knew Rory and Lorelai were one and the same... it changed things.

He had feelings for her; _that_ he was absolutely sure of. Hell, he had been sure that he was on the edge of falling for Lorelai – _Rory_ – before he knew that it was her. And he was still pretty sure that he was.

But the question was what Rory would think when she found out that he was Xavier. And when she found out that he knew who _she_ was. It wasn't like he had known that it was her the _entire_ time, though. And really, he still wouldn't have known if it wasn't for the business card that she had given him.

But the fact that he _did_ know that she was Lorelai made him wonder if he should just tell her who _he_ was. It would be the right thing to do. Then they would have their first date in an even footing. Nobody knowing more than the other.

But would Rory even _want_ to go out with him if she knew that he was who he was?

Tristan shook his head again, knowing that his thoughts would just continue to go in circles if he kept thinking about it. He knew that he had to do _something_; he just wasn't sure what that something was, yet.

Finally deciding to just go to bed and think about it again tomorrow, he shut everything off and left the room. Curtis, bored with the silence, slowly got up and stretched from the position that he had been laying in for the past hour, and followed his Master.

* * *

"Lorelai Gilmore." 

"Mary."

"Tristan, hi. How are you?" Smiling slightly into the phone she stopped typing, and leaned back in her chair.

"Good, good..." He cleared his throat, "Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to meet for coffee this afternoon. Around one or so. Lunch optional."

"Ummm..." Rory frowned, and looked to her clock, inwardly debating what her answer should be, "Actually, that sounds good. I'm a bit stuck on my story, so that might be the thing that I need. An outing to get my creative juices flowing, and all that."

"Yeah, human contact is what you need." The smile in his voice was almost audible, although he didn't sound quite as carefree as he had the other night.

"It probably is, actually. That, and I ran out of coffee this morning and haven't had nearly enough to jump start my story."

"So you're just using me for my caffeine."

"Yep, that's all that you are. My quick fix." Her laughter was soft, but he heard it just the same. "So where do you want to meet?"

"Well, I was thinking of this café that I go to, it's called **_Delmonica's_**. They have the best all day breakfast in the city. But if you feel like something different—"

"No, no, **_Delmonica's_** is great. I go there all the time, actually. I'm surprised that I haven't seen you there before."

"Well, I mostly sit near the back, it's quieter there. Maybe that's why we haven't crossed paths. You seem like a window person."

"That I am. So, I'll meet you at **_Delmonica's_** at one o'clock. That good?"

"That's great. I'll see you then, Mary."

"Yeah, see you there, Bible Boy,"

* * *

He planned it carefully, and made sure to get to the café almost an hour before Rory was due to arrive. He sat in the same spot that he had when he was with Stephen a week or so ago. Hopefully, when he got around to telling her that he was Xavier, the fact that he was sitting in the same place that she knew that 'Xavier' had sat in would help back him up. That and the fact that he had the systematically saved and printed emails and chat sessions that he had exchanged with her in his briefcase. They would serve as irrefutable proof if she didn't believe him. 

After ordering a large coffee for himself, and asking the waitress to bring another five to ten minutes to one, he brought out his laptop, and started to work. Well, at least he _pretended_ to work. Actually, all he was doing was staring at something that was supposed to make sense to him, and constantly glancing at the tiny numbers at the bottom of the screen, waiting for them to crawl closer to one o'clock.

At ten minutes to one, the waitress came back to the table with a refill for his coffee, which he had been drinking mechanically ever since he sat down, and another large cup.

Not a minute later, after the waitress had dispersed, he looked up at the entrance, somehow knowing that Rory was walking in. Seeing her scan the dining room for him, he stood, and waved her over.

He pretended not to notice when she stopped suddenly a small frown marring her brow. Knowing that she had just realized where he was sitting, he forced himself not to tense, and he formed his lips into what passed for an easygoing smile.

"I didn't know what you wanted, so I just settled for ordering you a large coffee. It was just brought, so it still should be nice and hot."

The smile that took her face over made him relax a tiny bit. "Have I mentioned that I loved you lately?" She said as she slid into the booth and took the steaming cup between her hands, just letting the warmth seep into her hands before she took the first cautious sip.

He almost groaned with her as she licked her lips in appreciation. "I thought that it's the least that I could do since I was the one who pulled you out into the real world." He hesitated a moment before he continued, "No dramatic reality tv implications intended."

The slight falter in her smile was almost worth the risk that he was running by almost quoting her email this soon in their conversation. He was sure that she hadn't figured it out yet, though. However, he knew that it would have been just a matter of time before it had happened, even if he hadn't asked to have lunch with her.

Just as the silence between them was about to turn into an uncomfortable one, the waitress walked up to the table, order pad in hand, "Are you two ready to order?"

Tristan looked at Rory, unsure if she knew what she wanted, but Rory was already ordering,

"Yeah, Joyce, I'll just have the regular... but could you add a few strawberries to the plate? I've been in the mood for a taste of summer."

"You got it, Ror. One order of chocolate chip-blueberry pancakes with extra whipped cream, sprinkled with chocolate chips and some strawberries." Then Joyce's gaze switched over to him, "And will you have?"

"French toast with a side of bacon, and some peach slices, please."

"With or without powdered sugar?"

"With, I seem to have a bit of a sweet tooth." He smiled charmingly, and thanked her as she walked away. Turning back to Rory, he raised a quizzical eyebrow, "Chocolate chip-blueberry pancakes?"

"Don't knock 'em 'till you've tried them. I literally grew up with them. My mother's boyfriend runs a diner, and he used to make them for me."

He had to stop himself from blurting out 'Luke, the health nut actually made you that?', _that_ would have gone over well, if he hadn't controlled himself. Instead, he just replied with a flippant; "Well, I guess that I'll have to have some of yours then. Prove to me that they aren't disgusting."

"With pleasure. But only if I get some of your French toast."

"We have a deal, then."

"Good."

Small talk took over their conversation while they waited for their food. All the while Tristan was trying to figure out how to broach the subject of their online relationship. Should he be blunt about it?

'_Hey Rory?... Or should I say Lorelai the third? Guess what? I'm your cyber-boyfriend!'_

No... He was known for having a bit more... finesse than that.

He could always be childish about it.

'_I know something you don't know! Na na na na naaaahh!'_

Although, he didn't really think that that would go over well with her, either.

He could just skip the whole telling her thing and just give her the printouts and see if she gets it.

'_Here, read these...' '...so, what do you think?'_

Again, the finesse thing came and but him in the ass.

He sighed, and looked at Rory, who was talking about her column at the paper,

"... very interesting. But this week I haven't really been able to get into the flow of the article. I mean, it's all there in point form, but it's just not coming out properly. I don't know why you asked about my column anyway. I warned you that I could rattle on and on about it for hours if I had t—"

"Rory?" He interrupted her, rudely, he knew, but if he waited any longer to at least start to explain, he'd loose all the nerve that he had built up.

"Yeah?"

"I had an ulterior motive about asking you to lunch today. And I know that I should have been up front with you about my intentions, but frankly, the thought of your reaction, should it be a bad one, it terrified me. And I know that you think that I asked you to come here so we could start our friendship on the right course, but that isn't strictly true. Yes, I want to be friends, but I also want more and that's why I'm here I have to clear some thin—"

"Tristan..." Her voice broke into his nervous ramblings, 'I have to say that... I'm flattered, I really am. But... I'm sort of in a relationship. An odd one, but a relationship.

He sighed, wishing that he had started differently, "I know that." He held up a hand as she opened her mouth, "And no, you didn't tell me anything about it. I know that you're in a relationship because... I'm in it, too."

Rory shook her head, frowning slightly, "What do you mean?"

Tristan shook his head slightly, and opened his briefcase, rummaging around for a moment and pulling out a sheet of paper. Without saying a word, he set it on the table, and slid it over to her, face down.

Looking at him curiously, she took the paper, and flipped it over, starting to read.

He could see the change in her face. He could see the blood draining out of her face, leaving it pale with shock.

She blinked a couple of times, and reread the sheet of paper, trying to make sense of what she thought she knew, and what she was just learning.

' _Dear **Mr. Tristan Xavier DuGrey** we are pleased to welcome you to Here are your basic statistics. You may add/edit any/all of them when you log in to the website at any time._

_Your name will not be published anywhere on the website unless you go into your profile and unmark the box labeled '**Do Not Disclose My Name**'_

_Your personal email address will not be published anywhere on the website unless you go into your profile and unmark the box labeled '**Do Not Disclose My Personal Email Address**'_

_You will be provided a personal email address to be used **within** the website._

_Your email address will be **your .**_

_**Note: No** outside email addresses can email your email address._

_Your email address **will** be published in your profile._

_**Name: **Tristan Xavier ID: LawGuyDG_

_**Age: **28_

_**Sex:** Male_

_**Seeking:** Female_

_**Occupation:** Email Address: activate your account, please click on the link below._

_**www . NYC-love . com/new/activate9/-7739J4028K5GS762G7/**_

_Thank you for registering with a nice day!_

_-the staff _'

Just as Rory finished reading through it a third time, Joyce came over with their meals. The beautifully decorated plates seemed to bring her back to reality. Or at least she thought it was reality. She discreetly pinched her jean clad leg. _Yep_ it was reality. Shooting a smile at Joyce, she quickly said her thanks and looked at the familiar plate sitting in front of her.

"So?"

Looking up at him, she realized that he looked as tense as she felt. "So, what?'

"Rory... So, what do you think?"

She shook her head, "I really don't know what to think." Looking down at her plate again, she frowned and looked back to him, "Did you want to trade a pancake for a piece of French Toast?"

Tristan blinked at the abrupt change of topic. "Uhh... Rory? Aren't you going to say anything about me being...me?"

She looked at him, and then slowly shook her head, "Not right now, I'm not. I think better on a full stomach. So can we eat so I can just... process things?" I'm sure that there'll be a lot to say, but just... after."

Not quite sure if waiting to talk about it, but knowing it was probably safer to give her a little time to absorb everything; he himself had laid in bed doing nothing but think of how she was Lorelai, and how that could effect their relationship, for hours after he figured it out, the least that he could give her was the time that it took to eat a meal. "Okay. So... which piece of French Toast do you want?"

* * *

They decided to go walking after their meal, they weren't walking to any specific place; they were just walking. They ended up at a small neighborhood park. It was nicely kept, so it was a rarity in the city. Sitting on a bench, Rory tucked her legs under her, and faced Tristan, "So, when did you find out that I was Lorelai?" 

He looked at her, almost thankful that she had started the conversation; he wouldn't have known what to say. "It was the night that we met up outside of the wedding. You gave me your card—"

"And since is says my full name, plus the fact that I'm the General Interest writer, you put it together." She finished for him, smiling slightly. "Why were you calling yourself Xavier?"

"Well, you know that I'm a bit... high profile, right?"

"Anybody who has even glanced at the New York society pages knows that."

"Well, with that comes a whole slew of problems. Mainly gold-diggers and their mothers."

Rory cringed, "Well, I would have said that I would assume that you would enjoy the attention; but now that I know that it's you who I've been talking to, I have to say that you're definitely not the same Tristan that I knew in High School."

"Yes, even the Great Tristan DuGrey had to mature some day." He bowed mockingly from the waist; an awkward move since he was sitting down.

She laughed lightly, "I wouldn't say _mature_. But I _do_ have to say that you've grown up." Looking at him, she let her eyes linger on his face, studying him. He _had_ grown up. He'd matured, too. She knew that the man that she had been talking to, and... falling for, was very different from the schoolboy that she had known more than a decade ago. She took a deep breath, steadying herself for what she was about to ask; "I swear, this is the last question that I'm going to ask before I actually let you talk. And I want you to know that I don't mean to sound weak when I say this, because I'm not weak, I'm just... curious." She stopped talking again, and her cheeks flushed.

"Just ask, Rory." He was frowning mentally, wondering what she would be worried about.

"What... exactly, do you feel for me now that you know who I am?"

Well, he realized why she was so nervous now. Actually, his palms were sweating just thinking about the answer that he was going to give. "Well... I have to say that my feelings for you haven't really changed that much since I found out that Lorelai is you. I mean, I knew that I had chemistry with Lorelai – _you _"

"Say Lorelai, Tristan. I'll know what you mean. It is an odd situation that we find ourselves in, isn't it?" Rory grinned slowly, seeing the humor in the situation even as he tried to be serious.

Letting his own lips tug upwards, he nodded, "Anyway, I knew that I had chemistry with _Lorelai_, but I didn't know if I would be physically attracted to her. I'd been steadily falling for her mind, her wit, her sense of self, since almost our first conversation. My feelings kept growing as I got to know her better, and I knew that I wanted to meet her. I had been bugging her, _you_, for a face to face meeting for a few weeks when I ran into you. And I found that I was attracted to you. Although that didn't come as much of a surprise, since I was attracted to you when we were teenagers, and I didn't think that it would change. I knew that I wouldn't act on my attraction to you while I was seeing Lorelai, because I wouldn't want to hurt her like that." Tristan scrunched up his face, "I'm giving myself a headache with all of the her/you stuff." He shook his head and continued, "Anyway, when I read your business card and realized that you and Lorelai were the same person, well, not only did I feel a little less guilty for being attracted to you, I actually was a bit relieved."

Rory tilted her head quizzically, "Relieved? What do you mean?"

"Well, you are practically the perfect woman."

She snorted derisively, "Right. Now tell me what you _really _meant."

"Okay, maybe not _perfect_; but you _are_ an amazing woman. I knew that much even before I knew that it was you. But now that _do_ know, I can just add what I liked about you when we were in school together to what I've learned about you these last few months... you're the total package. A package, I have to admit that I'm rapidly falling for."

Staring at him, she shook her head uncomprehendingly, "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

Sighing, Rory shifted closer to him, leaning in, she lightly grazed his cheek with her lips, "Thank you." She shrugged as she backed away, "I think that might have been the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me."

"Well... It's all true."

They sat in silence for a minute more before Rory spoke, "So... do you have questions for me?"

Tristan just looked at Rory for a few moments, "Do you think that you're ready for my questions?"

She paused for a second, "I'm not sure. I think that I'm more ready to answer your questions since you've answered mine. It's cleared things up."

"Okay, so... I'll ask you one question, and you can take as long as you need to give me the answer." He leaned over and took her hand in his, "What do you want your relationship with me to be? That's the question. Take as long as you need."

Biting her lip, Rory nodded, thankful that he was giving her time. She really wasn't sure what to say to him at that moment. She knew that she had wanted a relationship with him when he was Xavier, and she really didn't think that had changed when she had found out that he was the actual face behind the name. The _name_ behind the name as well, she supposed. "Thank you."

"Hey, I had time to adjust. I had time to think. I just think that you deserve that, too."

She nodded, smiling at him. "Okay, so... what do we do right now?"

"Right now?" Tristan pushed back the sleeves of his coat and looked at his wristwatch, "Seeing that it's getting close to four thirty—"

"You're kidding me." Rory's eyes widened as she realized that they had spent _hours_ together, and she hadn't even realized it. Although she couldn't really blame herself for not looking for the time every ten minutes like she was accustomed to doing.

"No, it's four twenty..." He paused for a few seconds, staring at his watch intently, "...six now."

"Didn't you have to be back at work an hour or s ago, Tristan?"

"No," he shook his head, "I made sure that I took the afternoon off. I didn't really know how you would react, and I didn't want anybody wondering where I was if you didn't take it well, and I ended up in the Emergency Room with your boot up my ass."

She frowned, looking at her boots, "...No, I don't think that would have happened. I would have made sure that I was wearing my pointy-toed boots before I embedded them into your fundament."

Blinking at the deadpan tone of her voice, Tristan had only to search for a moment to see the warm humor in her eyes. "Well thank you for the warning, I'll be sure to keep my eyes on your choice of footwear when we get into a fight."

As Rory laughed along with him, she absently noted that she wasn't the least bit offended that he said '_when_ we get into a fight', as if the fact that they would have a future relationship was certain. '_Something to think on later._' she told herself firmly.

Once they had quieted, he looked over at her, "What about you? Didn't you need to get home and finish your article?"

"No, actually." She shook her head, "The article that I'm stuck on is one of my back-ups. I already have two weeks worth of articles written, so it's not as if I'm racing to meet a deadline."

"Still the overachiever, I see."

Laughing slightly, Rory unthinkingly took the hand that Tristan had resting on the back of the bench, outstretched towards her, and playfully winked "Would you have me any other way?"

His face suddenly solemn, his gaze raked over her face, "No, I wouldn't."

They seemed to be drifting closer, unconsciously seeking each other in the slight chill of the early spring day. The hand that Tristan had entwined with her own locked their fingers together, and his other somehow found it's way to lightly caress her cheek.

Feeling the warmth of his hand on her face, Rory turned her head slightly so that the whole of her right cheek was encased in it; the pad of his thumb now lightly brushing over her lips.

As they were both leaning forward, Tristan paused slightly, unsure if what he wanted to do – what he was _about_ to do was the right thing. He knew that he wanted her, that much was obvious, but what he didn't know, or more importantly what _she_ didn't know is if she wanted him as well.

His eyes must have conveyed that message to her, for she brought her free hand up to his, holding it against the warmth of her face, and nodded slightly to let him know that she didn't want him to stop. He nodded faintly in return as he finally closed the gap between their faces.

The kiss felt... electric. It was unhurried and soft, but it had that _thing_; that passion that was just barely contained under the surface. It felt almost... _familiar_ as well. They could both feel it, that feeling of exploration, but it was different from the kisses of exploration that they had partaken in the past. It almost felt as if they had traveled the path that they were on, but the memory of it was just out of their reach.

For some odd reason the phrase 'you never forget how to ride a bicycle' came into his mind, and he smiled into the kiss, vaguely thinking that he hoped the old adage proved true. Feeling her smile back, he took advantage of her slightly relaxed mouth, and swiftly parted his lips and let the tip of his tongue trace the details of her lips.

When her own mouth opened more, she allowed herself to taste him. And what she tasted, she enjoyed.

And then they were suddenly pressed against each other, their hands entwined; mirrors of their tongues. They fought for dominance of the kiss for a moment, before conceding to each other, and starting to playfully nip at the others lips. They slowly pulled back, so that only their foreheads were touching, and they looked deeply into each others eyes.

Their breathing was just starting to regulate when Rory suddenly smiled.

"What?"

She shook her head slightly as she leaned back, so that the only thing still touching was their hands. "Nothing, really. Just... come home with me."

"Rory..." Tristan started to shake his head, a sad, almost wounded look in his eyes when she realized her gaffe.

"I didn't mean it _that_ way, Tristan. I don't think that we're ready for that. But... I just want to _be_ with you right now, is that okay? Just to hang out, I guess."

His face softened as he saw the sincerity in her eyes. "It's perfect, Rory."

She let out a half-breath that she hadn't even been aware she had been holding. _Hell,_ the fact tat she was still _breathing_ sort of came as a shock to her.

"Okay." Smiling at him one more time, she uncurled her legs and stood. She stretched for a moment before offering her hand to Tristan, who took it unhesitatingly.

"Lead on, My Lady."

* * *

Sitting curled up on the couch on front of Rory's television, Tristan attempted to take his eyes of off the woman beside him, and force his attention to the Movie that he was _supposed_ to be watching. She had put on '**_You've Got Mail_**' (she had actually _insisted_ on it, saying that it was only fitting). But somewhere between them eating the left over Chinese food that she had had stashed in her fridge, and the middle of the second movie ('**_Sleepless in Seattle_**') she had started to move closer. She now sat curled under his arm, in the position that so many couples had found their selves in throughout history. 

_Not that they were a couple_, Tristan admitted to himself as he felt Rory shift and snuggle closer. _Although, things **did** seem to be heading in that direction_. At least he hoped that they were.

Looking back down at her, he found himself looking into her eyes. She was smiling as she looked at him; a smile that he knew was mirrored on his own face. They stayed like that for a while, not taking their eyes off of the others face. Neither moved until suddenly Rory leaned up, softly capturing his lips with his own.

The kiss was leisurely, a subtle and delicate study, instead of the almost extreme kiss that they had shared earlier. They felt no need, no pressure to change the pace of the kiss, as they had before, they just took what was given, what was _needed_ at that time, and they were content with it.

Rory brought a hand to his face, feeling the slight scuff of what was now his _after_-5 o'clock shadow, before moving her hand up into his hair. Pulling back slightly, she smiled into his eyes again before turning her attention back to his lips once more. Opening her mouth slightly, she flicked her tongue out, teasing open his own lips, before slowly withdrawing, allowing him to do the same to her. Their exploration continued until the movies credits started to play; the loud music startling them.

Pulling away, they looked into each others eyes, and laughed.

Rory reached over for the selector, and clicked off the DVD player, and then shut off the television. Looking at the clock, she was almost shocked that it was just going on nine o'clock, but seeing that they had gone through two movies, it was understandable. She sat back and looked at him again, trying to figure out how to say what she had been thinking for the past few hours.

"Let's take it slow." Her voice was quiet, but clear. There was a smile in her eyes as she looked into his. "I like this; this you and me thing. But I don't want to rush into anything. I think that we can make it work, but we just need to take it slow." She paused, "Is that okay?"

Tristan nodded, and entwined her fingers with his own, "That's perfect." He paused for a moment, "I should really be getting home. Curtis is probably ready to break down the door by now."

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept you—"

"Hey, I wasn't exactly trying to beat down the door to get out, was I?"

She ducked her head, "No, I guess you weren't."

So, they got up, and Tristan got ready to leave. Just as they were walking to the door together, He pulled her into a kiss. Again, it was different than the ones that had come before. Instead of it going from light to a passionate exploration or soft and probing, it was fervent from the start. Hot, openmouthed, and just plain amazing.

As they pulled away, Rory had to unclench her fingers from where they had dug into his coat, and he had to take his own from where they were twined in her hair. Both flushed, and slightly red, they reluctantly stepped away from each other.

Rory stepped forward again, and opened the door for him. Tristan paused once to kiss her tenderly before walking out. He stopped just outside the doorway, and turned around.

"I'll talk to you soon. You have my numbers, right?"

"Yeah, they're on your business card."

"Good." He leaned in one more time and took her in his arms. One quick kiss later, they pulled back. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay." She smiled, "Tell Curtis that I'm sorry I kept his master out so long."

Laughing slightly, he shook his head and looked at her, "I think that he'll forgive you."

"Well, I hope so; I really wouldn't want to make an enemy of him right from the start."

Tristan started to walk towards the elevators, without turning towards them. "I think you're safe." he said as reached out and pressed the down button.

"Good." Rory smiled and leaned on the doorframe at him as he waited. Locking eyes with him.

When the _ding_ was heard, they almost jumped, and both smiled ruefully.

"Goodnight, Rory."

"'Night, Tristan."

When the elevator doors slid shut, Rory took a deep breath and went back into her apartment, closing the door behind her.

She didn't stop smiling.


End file.
